Blaze damages family’s home

October 31, 2012

Four local fire departments responded to the blaze at 4765 Stanleyville Road after it was reported around 11:21 p.m. Monday.

"It was pretty well involved in the basement by the time we got there," said Jeff Lauer, chief of the Fearing Township Volunteer Fire Department. "Family members told me on their way out it was full of smoke, and flames were coming up through the registers."

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EVAN BEVINS The Marietta TimesAlthough still standing, this Stanleyville Road home is considered a total loss after fire gutted its interior overnight Monday

Fearing firefighters were joined at the scene by members of the Devola, Reno and Salem departments. It took several hours to put the blaze out, he said.

"The wind really made it worse for us," Lauer said. "We couldn't control our ventilation; it kept fanning the flames."

The house is considered a total loss.

"The structure's still there ... but the interior's pretty well gutted," Lauer said.

The state fire marshal's office was investigating the fire Tuesday morning. Lauer said there is no suspicion of arson, but a cause had not been determined.

A call to the fire marshal's office was not returned Tuesday afternoon.

The house is owned by Becky Moore, who lived there with multiple family members, Lauer said. They all escaped the house uninjured.

Lauer said a smoke detector apparently alerted the residents to the danger. He advised everyone to make sure they have working smoke detectors at all levels of their home and near bedrooms so people can hear them.

The Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross reached out to the family to offer assistance. Executive director Sherry Schwartz said the family stayed with relatives Monday night.